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Dial Indicators - Brand Name Comparison
It's possible to buy dial indicators that range from super-economy to deluxe. Which type you buy will largely depend on its application, your budget, and the image you wish to project as a manufacturer. All indicators will be more or less equally accurate and reliable when they're new (Chinese gages possibly being an exception). Wear and tear will quickly alter these parameters, however. For the inspection room, you'll probably want the better quality indicator, whereas for the shop floor you may opt for disposable tools. A more specific discussion of dial indicators can be found on page 139. Here's a selection of currently available dial indicators, and what we think of them:
Accupro Gold (USA) This is a vanity dial for indicators made by CDI. They tend to be inexpensive and repairs are not always economical. Refer to CDI below.
Aerospace (China) It's a fancy moniker for a really cheap indicator. We wouldn't want to fly with this one.
Ames (USA) (B.C. Ames, Inc.) According to Ames, except for the digital indicators, 85% of all gages are made in Massachusetts. Somewhat old-fashioned construction, by today's standards, makes these indicators quaint. But, they're made in America! Nota bene: Ames has a peculiar way of refering to thickness gages as dial micrometers even though they've got nothing to do with microns or meters.
Amtos, an inexpensive Asian import previously offered by SPI, which is not repairable because spare parts are not available. This line appears to have been discontinued.
Atorn (German) brand of metric indicators made by Kafer for Hahn & Kolb of Stuttgart (see below). Baker, the cheap price should tell you that these come from China. When they stop working, throw them away. (Too bad we can't send them back to China to add to their landfills.)
Blake (USA) makes the Co-Ax centering indicator. Even though the manufacturer is starting to cut corners, it's still better than the cheap Chinese imitation offered in catalogs.
Barcor (US) dial chamfer gage with a CDI indicator bearing the Barcor name. Earlier models used Starrett indicators. A spin-off and competitor of the original Brencor (see below). This design has been mimicked by other manufacturers, most notably Starrett.
Brencor (US) the original dial Chamfer Chek (trademark) with a cheap generic (read: Chinese) indicator bearing the Brencor name. Some of these have a set screw on the base and overtightening it will squash the indicator stem. If the indicator is damaged, you'll have to replace it.
Brown & Sharpe (Switzerland/Germany) most are made by Kafer. Brown & Sharpe does not supply spare parts for these indicators and we urge customers to take this into consideration. When something goes wrong they probably can't be fixed.
CDI (Chicago Dial Indicator, USA) since 1932, offers a full line of well-made dial gages which are a copy of the Federal indicators or vice-versa. Just like Federal, they use soft steel racks which suffer from broken teeth at the slightest jolt. One difference: to get to the movement, you have to rip off the dials which are glued in place, which makes this one of the worst designs of any dial indicator. Spare parts are expensive and repairs may be uneconomical. Their model numbers, designed logically, are exceptionally confounding. CDI indicators are often components of other gages, such as the Barcor Chamfer Gage.
Compac (Switzerland) is best suited to the inspection room because of its superior construction, durability and high cost. They're masterpieces of the craft of gage construction. A distinguishing feature is the 8 mm stem diameter. These gages are too valuable to be trusted to unskilled hands. They are often seen as components of Swiss-made machines. As of September 2005, most inch reading Compac gages have been discontinued. This website offers full details and parts breakdowns of all available Compac indicators.
Diatest makes the split style bore gages. The Diatest indicator "made in Germany" is a Kafer indicator. Model 01Z is graduated in .0001". It has an 8 mm diameter stem.
Dorsey indicators are made in USA. These are probably the best American-made indicators available. While we're not thrilled about some of the workmanship, their unique high resolution models (.00005" and even .00002") have good accuracy when used as comparators. Some have over-sized dials and are acceptable alternatives to digital indicators.
Elisha Penniman of Connecticut had its name put on some Mitutoyo dial indicators. See Mitutoyo below. Enco is not a manufacturer but their name appears on many off-brands from Japan, China and elsewhere. Enco is definitely bargain-basement stuff.
Federal indicators were manufactured in Providence, Rhode Island. Many models use the letters and numbers O, 0, 1 and I which can cause confusion. The rack, made of soft steel, is easily damaged and accuracy is compromised. The graduations on the dials easily wash out. Except when new, .0001" indicators are rarely accurate. Spare parts are often too expensive to make repairs economical by independent repair shops. Models beginning with IDS and IDT are manufacturing specials and it is difficult to identify spare parts for these. You'll have best results by returning them to the manufacturer for servicing. We haven't seen a Federal dial indicator we like. The newest versions have the name Mahr-Federal on the dial.
Fowler (USA) specializes in digital equipment, often made in Switzerland by Sylvac, but even very expensive gages are quickly obsolete and unserviceable. Mechanical indicators are made by Kafer (Germany). Fowler also offers cheap Chinese imports.
Hahn & Kolb (Germany) well crafted dial indicators rarely seen in the US. They are made by Kafer (see below) Hardinge (USA) a vanity dial for the CDI indicator. See above.
Humboldt (USA) a vanity dial for the CDI indicator. They are sold as a component of the Soiltest length comparator. For information, see CDI on this page. Johnson Gage(USA) a vanity dial for the Mahr-Federal indicator. Kafer (Germany) variously spelled as Käfer and Kaefer, manufactures distinctive, economically priced dial indicators and is willing to put just about anyone's name on them. Many configurations in inch and metric are available. Here's a problem we run into: almost none of their indicators have the model numbers written on them. When you try to order parts, or a replacement, you probably won't know what you've got. Indicators come with metal or plastic bezels - some even have plastic bodies - and plastic or real glass crystals.
Kurt (USA) although located in Minneapolis, these are generic made-in-China imports. Kurt claims to offer a life-time replacement warranty on the workmanship of these items. We are not fans of Chinese gages and we aren't sure that the warranty will benefit anyone.
Lufkin never actually manufactured their own instruments. Dial indicators were made by Federal Gage.
Mahr-Federal (USA) formerly known as Federal Gage, most of these indicators are made in Providence, Rhode Island. They have soft racks which means that the teeth shear off easily. The gages quickly become inaccurate and repairs can be expensive. At least one "economy series" (1810SZ for example) is custom manufactured by Käfer (Germany). Models beginning with IDT are manufacturing specials and should be returned to Mahr-Federal for servicing.
Mercer (Switzerland) is manufactured for the UK market. The dial indicators are made by Tesa and are similar to Compac indicators with only a few modifications. While Compac has discontinued most inch-reading models, they may still be available with the Mercer name. They're the best bargain you can get for real quality and they're now available in the US.
MHC (China) are generic dial indicators made in communist China. Mitutoyo (Japan) indicators are reliably accurate throughout their entire range although their construction is often less durable than others. Plastic bezels turn on an o-ring and these can often be difficult when trying to make minute adjustments. New models are redesigned, inside and out, and they contain many plastic parts. Spare parts are often unavailable making this a poor candidate for repairs. The newest models, designated with the letter S, cleverly feature dovetails on the sides of the dial indicator bodies, to which any number of attachments can mounted, including the bezel clamps. Unfortunately, some attachments are also plastic and they break. What else is new?
Mueller (California), manufactures specialty measuring gages. The dial indicators used for these tools often have 8mm stems. They currently use Series D indicators made by Mitutoyo, previously Series B and C made by Starrett (which they dropped due to quality issues), and once-upon-a-time Series A were fabricated in England. We can repair the indicators, but if the rest of the tool needs fixing, return it to the manufacturer for best results.
Oldak (England) an antique formerly made by Engineering Products Ltd of London. There are no repair parts available. Precise (China) ridiculously cheap dial indicators offered in the Penn Tool Co catalog. Consider these as throw-aways. See "China" on the score card below. Phase-II, an inexpensive Chinese import which is not repairable because it would cost more than a new indicator. Treat these as throw-aways. The 0-1" dial indicator has a peculiar fluke: the small revolution counter goes around twice, once for the first half inch, then again for the other half inch. We can't fault the accuracy, however. When new, the .001" indicator is just as accurate as any other brand.
Royal Master (USA) is a vanity dial for a CDI indicator (see above). Scherr-Tumico (USA and elsewhere) indicators are of considerably lesser quality but some of their indicators are made-in-USA. These can be inexpensively repaired if returned to the manufacturer, although the repair job is often sub-standard.
Seibert (USA) is a vanity dial for a CDI indicator (see above). Soiltest, a vanity dial. Long range indicators are made by Mitutoyo, but this is subject to change.
SPI distributes cheap imports from China under their own SPI brand name even though the acronym stands for "Swiss Precision Instruments". SPI does not provide repair parts nor repair service for their indicators. These have to be considered "throw-aways." SPI also sells Käfer indicators (see above).
Standard Gage (Switzerland-Germany) indicators have recently - and mercifully - been redesigned using Käfer movements. They're also components of the highly popular dial bore gages. Standard Gages are distributed by Brown & Sharpe in the USA. Formerly of Poughkeepsie, they are now a vanity brand made in Switzerland and Germany by Tesa and Käsfer. As one customer said, "You never know who's going to be making them next."
Starrett (USA) indicators are home-grown favorites but can not be recommended. The bushings will wear out rather quickly and the rack teeth will shear off because of the inferior quality metal used in its manufacture. The newer models even resort to the use of plastic bezels and plastic gears. Nevertheless, they are fairly priced and almost always repairable. Starrett dial indicators do not come with serial numbers. Their on-line catalog is comprehensive, including parts breakdowns.
Sunnen (USA) indicators are components of their highly successful dial bore gages. The indicators which they use on current models are manufactured by Mitutoyo (Japan) specifically for these bore gages (indicator model no.4S2218). Ordinary Mituoyo models can not be used as replacements, they won't fit. Older models were outfitted with Federal dial indicators.
Teclock (Japan) manufactures a bargain-priced line of dial indicators. We carry the popular AI-921 dial indicator. They are, however, not repairable and must be considered as throw-aways. Some models are misleadingly labeled "shock-proof." There is nothing whatsoever in the mechanism that makes it shock proof. A number of different models are in circulation mostly because they are included as (inexpensive) components of machines. For the most part, these indicators are not available in the US and you will have to find alternate models as replacements.
3D-Taster (Germany) alignment and positioning indicator for CNC machines, made by Haff & Schneider, which can not be repaired by the average repair shop. The manufacturer insists that, because special jigs are required, these have to be returned to Germany for servicing and that becomes an expensive undertaking. They're distributed in the US by SPI.
Trav-A-Dial (USA) is a unique measuring tool about which we know nothing. Contact the manufacturer at 1-310-608-4422
Dial Indicator Score Card
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